Contents

Overview

Seireitei is a circular shiro with four main entrances, ten days walk apart,[1] each guarded by one of the Gatekeepers. These gates are collectively called the
Four Great Pure Soul Gates (四大瀞霊門, Shidai Seireimon): these gates are made up of the Northern Black Ridge Gate (黒隆門, Kokuryōmon), the Eastern Blue Stream Gate (青流門, Shōryūmon), the Southern Red Hollow Gate (朱洼門, Shuwaimon), and the Western White Way Gate (白道門, Hakutōmon).[2][3] The gates are so heavy that it takes the full might of Jidanbō Ikkanzaka to lift one, while during the Bount-led attack on Seireitei, siege machines were needed to open the gates. There are, however, doors within the gates, as seen when Momo Hinamori first entered the Shin'ō Academy[4].

The walls of Seireitei are made of Sekkiseki (殺気石, Spirit Reducing Stone), a rare type of stone known to negate all Reiryoku, similar to magneticlodestones. The stone also forms a spherical barrier around the city, extending above and below, stopping anything spiritual from breaching it from ground level, from the sky or from underground.

The wall that surrounds the Seireitei is commonly held up, only closing down when there is an emergency. When it is not down protecting the Seireitei, the wall protects the Soul King Palace, located in an inner dimension.[5]

Information about the Seireitei is confidential. What is known is that in the center of the Seireitei is a white tower known as the Senzaikyū, where criminals are imprisoned; on the hill adjacent to it is the Sōkyoku, where prisoners are executed. Those permitted to live in the tranquility of the Seireitei are Shinigami and the Noble Houses. Shinigami live in the Division barracks, while high-ranking officers commute from their own homes.[6]

The majority of the residents of Seireitei, nobility and Shinigami alike, do not interact with the citizens of Rukongai. However, residents of Rukongai, like Renji and Rukia, are allowed to apply for the Shin'ō Academy, which is often the only escape from the poorest conditions of Rukongai.

Following the Quincy War 1000 years ago, the Quincy who would later become the Wandenreich fled to the Seireitei and used Reishi to create space in the "shadows", effectively creating a world within the Seireitei, unseen to outsiders. These Quincy were able to move between their world and the Seireitei, as they were technically there to start with. The Wandenreich can absorb the Reishi particles of the Seireitei to reveal their hidden world. [7] The area is known as the Schatten Bereich (影の領域 （シャッテン・ベライヒ）, Shatten Beraihi; German and Japanese for "Shadow Realm"), which Yhwach cannot leave for more than a certain period of time before having to retreat.[8]

The Central 46 Compound is a highly restricted underground complex and contains the Assembly Hall of the government of Soul Society and the Seijōtōkyorin, residential district for the Central 46, as well as the Daireishokairō, the repository of all the knowledge and history of the Soul Society

Location of the office & living quarters of the Captain-Commander, as well as the Assembly Hall where he addresses the captain's of the Gotei 13.[9] It is also the location for the lieutenants assembly.[10]

Location of the office & living quarters of the captain of the 2nd Division/Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces. Also found within the 2nd Division grounds is the Nest of Maggots, a heavily guarded and secluded from the rest of the division buildings.

Location of the office & living quarters of the captain of the 12th Division, also controlled by the 12th Division is the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, which is the primary research and development facility of the Gotei 13 and all of Soul Society. The Charismatic Dr. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's Magical Clinic ((カリスマDr.[ドクター]涅マユリの マジカル☆クリニック, Karisuma Dr.[Dokutā] Kurotsuchi Mayuri no Majikaru Kurinikku) is also run by the 12th Division.

Location of the office & living quarters of the captain of the 13th Division. Ugendō Quarters is set aside for use by Jūshirō Ukitake, the captain of the 13th Division. He is known to rest there to recover from his frequent bouts of illness.[11] The pond around the Ugendō Quarters is filled with Koi stolen from the Kuchiki Family Manor by Yachiru Kusajishi.[12]

Gatekeepers

The Four Great Seireimon (四大瀞霊門, Shidai Seireimon; Seirei Gates) are protected by the Four Great Seireimon Gatekeepers (四大瀞霊門門番, Shidai Seireimon Monban). They are all giants who have the strength to lift the gates made of Sekkiseki.